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Reaction to Image of Dazed, Injured Syrian Boy

August 18, 2016

In this frame grab taken from video provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), a child sits in an ambulance after being pulled out or a building hit by an airstirke, in Aleppo, Syria, Aug. 17, 2016.

A dusty and bloody five-year old Syrian boy captured the attention of people around the world this week.

The boy suffered head injuries when his family’s apartment building in the city of Aleppo was hit by a bomb. The boy was rescued from the rubble of the building. His family members were also rescued. None of them had serious injuries.

The video and photos show the boy being lifted into an ambulance by a rescue worker. People can be heard yelling in the background. The boy, who has been identified as Omran Dagneesh, remains quiet and calm.

The worker places the boy in an orange seat in the ambulance. The seat is made for an adult, so Dagneesh looks small. He looks confused about what is happening. He touches the side of his face, and feels something wet. He looks at his hand and sees blood.

Soon others join him in the ambulance. They are another child and a man.

But the image of Dagneesh alone in the brightly-lit ambulance brought out comments from around the world.

Some people said it was similar to the photo of the dead Syrian child who washed up on a Turkish beach in September 2015.

Others called the image “haunting.”

Broadcaster Al-Jazeera noted that the boy is the same age as the Syrian war.

Another person wrote, simply: “Breaks. My. Heart.”

Others wanted to know why people around the world are not more concerned about the fighting in Syria and Aleppo.

They were tweeting edited images of the wounded boy sitting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Doctors said the airstrike killed eight people, including five children.

The United Nations says it is hoping to negotiate a 48-hour ceasefire. That would let them deliver aid to areas they cannot reach now because of the fighting.

And that’s What’s Trending Today.

I’m Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Jill Robbins was the editor.

How do you feel when seeing the photo of the boy? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

ambulance – n. a vehicle used for taking hurt or sick people to the hospital especially in emergencies

haunting – adj. sad in a way that is difficult to forget

edit – v. to prepare (something written) to be published or used : to make changes, correct mistakes, etc., in (something written)

rubble – n. broken pieces of stone, brick, etc., from walls or buildings that have fallen